Healthier Comfort Food: Baked Spaghetti Squash & Cheese

I really enjoy the taste of mac & cheese. I have very rarely eaten it in the last 3 years. I never ever make it anymore. I do miss it. I have been on the hunt for a healthier version. Personally I don’t eat pasta at all. I love spaghetti squash and have eaten it many different ways. After reading a bunch of different recipes online this is what I came up with.

I assembled all the ingredients and got ready to cook but my spaghetti squash wasn’t big enough. I needed 6 cups but it only yielded about 4. Oops! I had to improvise. The only thing I had on hand was a bag of kelp noodles which I added to the squash to make it 6 cups. It worked out ok but the two textures didn’t mix perfectly. However the flavor was still delightful! It would have been better with just the squash as originally intended. In a bind the kelp noodles can be used. I am going to try a future version with just kelp noodles to see what it is like.

Baked Spaghetti Squash & Cheese

Serves 4, about 250 calories each serving.

I serve it as the main dish, however if you serve it as a side dish you may get about 6 servings out of this recipe.

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees F. Cut spaghetti squash in half length wise, scoop out seeds to throw away. Spray squash halves with oil and place cut side up on baking dish or cookie sheet. Bake until tender when pierced with a knife. (45-60 mins)

Remove squash from oven and let cool. When the squash is cool enough scape the insides into a pyrex baking dish.

In large saucepan sprayed with cooking spray set on medium heat and add milk and flour whisk. Turn the heat down to low and add the shredded cheese to the saucepan. Stir until melted. Pour mixture even over the spaghetti squash in the baking dish.

Sprinkle the cayenne, salt, pepper and goat cheese over the top of the spaghetti squash.

Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Let set for 20 minutes before serving.

(Option: Add more veggies by adding a cup or two of lightly cooked greens)

Comments

MmMm! Sounds Delicious! I love spaghetti squash! I use it instead of pasta or rice a lot of times! I haven’t had white carbs in over a year… between healthy eating and exercise I’ve lost 100lbs! Your story is so inspiring! Thank you Jacqui!

Great idea, Jacqui! I will have to give this a try with spaghetti squash. I have found great success doing something similar, using cauliflower. This recipe is close to what I do, but I don’t rice the cauliflower (I like the chunky flowerets) and cook it for longer, like 45-60 minutes. With the crispy topping, it really satisfies my mac and cheese cravings (I just use a mix of almond flour and Parmesan cheese). Even my non-healthy eating family members love it. I think I need to make this tonight